The Lady I Flirted With Is Here - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Germaphobia

Her fingers gripped the bottle tightly. The juice flowed down her throat and into her stomach. After she took a sip, the other woman’s fingers reached out, their hands brushing against each other. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Daiyu took the bottle and sipped from the same rim. Lin Xian watched secretly, her eyes fixed on the thin lips touching the bottle. Her heart sank, and she found herself nervously licking her own dry lips over and over again.

Fang Daiyu’s actions were open and casual, as if this was exactly how things should be. She drank the juice from the bottle Lin Xian had just used, skillfully tightened the cap, and placed it on the armrest beside her—all in one fluid motion.

Depressed, Lin Xian turned away and went back to eating her fries. After chewing two more, her chest still felt tight with anxiety, so she set the fries on the seat to focus on the movie.

In the darkness, a warm touch found her hand. A tissue rubbed over each of her fingertips, wiping away every trace of salt and grease. Her gloom vanished. No one had ever cared for her so meticulously before, tending even to fingers that had just touched fries. Through the blurry shadows of the theater, she could make out the silhouette of Fang Daiyu, sitting there quietly.

Her throat still felt a bit dry. Lin Xian closed her eyes and reached toward Fang Daiyu to find the juice bottle, but in the shadows, a pair of hands caught her arm. Fang Daiyu placed a hand on Lin Xian’s shoulder to steady her, picked up the drink from her side, opened it again, and held it out in front of Lin Xian.

A faint scent of mint wafted over—the taste of the candy Fang Daiyu had eaten earlier. The minty fragrance drifted past her ears and nose, filling her senses like a refreshing breeze.

“If you want a drink, just tug on my finger. Understood?”

It was a voice only the two of them could hear. Lin Xian closed her eyes, feeling like she was about to leap off a cliff. She pressed her lips to the bottle and let the juice flow into her stomach once more. Then, it hit her: she had succeeded! She had successfully broken through the defensive wall in her heart, sharing a drink with someone else without feeling discomfort—and without the urge to vomit.

There was no lingering saliva from Fang Daiyu on the rim, and no unpleasant smell. Having shattered her psychological barrier, Lin Xian opened her eyes and took another experimental sip.

Nothing happened. She was fine.

She was happy—incredibly happy. She turned to look at Fang Daiyu, her heart soaring. This was the first person, other than herself, whom she didn’t find repulsive.

Her “germaphobia” was something she had discussed with a psychologist, who told her it was more of a psychological suggestion. If she couldn’t break that internal barrier, she would always be stuck.

She had tried to fix it before. Once, she tried to share a cup with her mother, but the moment she smelled a scent that wasn’t her own, she ran to the bathroom to throw up. Afterward, as her mother patted her back thinking she had an upset stomach, Lin Xian choked back tears, feeling nothing but guilt in the face of her mother’s care.

Lin Xian remembered not having this problem when she was very little. It started when she was hospitalized for a stomach issue. Her water bottle was identical to the one belonging to the child in the next bed. That child was constantly vomiting; the sour, foul smell drifted to Lin Xian. Her own stomach was weak, and the smell made her retch. Her mother took her to the restroom to rinse her mouth, but when Lin Xian opened her bottle, she saw dark, dirty marks on the straw.

“This isn’t my bottle!” little Lin Xian cried, feeling sick again. Her mother wiped the marks away with a tissue to comfort her: “Maybe something just fell in. Mommy cleaned it for you.” Lin Xian sipped the water suspiciously, but the straw had a strange, “off” taste. She thought she was imagining things until they went back to the room and saw the child next door, covered in foul-smelling food residue, holding an identical cup and screaming: “This isn’t mine! Mine has an Ultraman sticker!”

Terrified, Lin Xian grabbed her mother’s hand to check her cup. There, on the bottom, was a faded Ultraman sticker. Thinking of the black dirt and the smell, she rushed back into the restroom. From that day on, she rejected anything shared with others. She would secretly mark the spoons at home, the cups, the bowls. She feared other people’s mouths and saliva. For over ten years, she had stumbled through life this way.

In her countless previous attempts, she would vividly perceive the saliva residue on objects; she was so practiced she could practically smell it. Once she saw a trace of moisture or caught a scent, no amount of mental preparation could stop the dry heaving. It was like this with family and friends. Her closest friend once tried to share a hot dog with her; seeing the saliva on the bitten surface, Lin Xian waited a full minute before closing her eyes to take a bite. After swallowing, she spent the whole day nauseated. She and her best friend didn’t speak for two days afterward. Eventually, they both apologized and laughed it off, but the phobia remained.

People without germaphobia just think it’s being “fussy.” But there are two types of germaphobes: those who judge and demand things of others, and those who proactively solve the problem themselves. Lin Xian knew her condition was severe and that it made social interactions difficult. Eventually, she decided to be upfront with her close friends; they respected her for it and accepted her.

To say she didn’t want to change was a lie; the problem was that she couldn’t.

Jingjing once jokingly asked how she would ever kiss a girlfriend. Lin Xian had said she would surely find a woman whose “scent agreed with her.” It was because of those years of hardship that Fang Daiyu felt so precious—like destiny.

In the darkness, Lin Xian proactively grasped Fang Daiyu’s hand and whispered, “What a coincidence, I like you.” Her lips moved, but in the theater, she could only produce a tiny, mosquito-like sound. Fang Daiyu, thinking she wanted to put the bottle down, thoughtfully tightened the cap and placed it back on her own side. She put the fries back in Lin Xian’s lap and whispered: “Eat.”

A laugh escaped Lin Xian’s nose, audible only to her. She shook her head to herself and hugged her fries while watching the movie. On screen, a body double fell in love with his master’s wife, while the husband stood between them.

When emotions run deep, they get tangled in ethics; it becomes impossible to tell who is right or wrong, who is tragic or happy. Lin Xian set the fries down. Her fingers were once again wiped clean by Fang Daiyu with a tissue. For a moment, Lin Xian felt a sense of unreality. Ten years ago, she never would have imagined that she would not only be in an open relationship with a girl, but that the person would be this beautiful and kind.

Ten years of waiting and struggle in exchange for a mutual encounter like this—it was worth it!

Stepping out of the cinema, she let out a long breath. Lin Xian was an emotional moviegoer. At the end of the film, the mother of the body double died, which was the one thing she couldn’t stand. She wiped her tears while laughing at the same time. Fearing Daiyu would mock her, she explained with a shaky, tearful laugh: “I… I can’t help myself.”

To prove she was okay, she flashed a wide, tearful grin: “R-really.”

The sight of Lin Xian crying and laughing at the same time drew glances from passersby. Fang Daiyu couldn’t take it anymore and pulled the girl into a corner. “I believe you,” she whispered into Lin Xian’s ear. “Xianxian, stop laughing.”

The smile froze on Lin Xian’s face, her eyes still wet and bewildered. Looking at her, Fang Daiyu felt that taking this girl out was “dangerous”: “Didn’t your teachers tell you college students—especially female students—need to be on guard when they’re out?”

“They did!” Lin Xian rolled up her sleeves, revealing her smooth, pale forearms. She struck a pose to show off her muscles: “See this?” She pointed to her arm: “Biceps!”

Lin Xian grabbed Fang Daiyu’s hand: “Tell me, which pervert was looking at you? I’ll go punch him for you!”

It turned out Lin Xian’s brain was wired differently than most people’s. Of course, in Fang Daiyu’s heart, this was just another “moe” point. She looked at the misunderstanding girl with a mix of amusement and affection. Fine, as long as she knows how to protect herself. She couldn’t help but add: “You have a beautiful smile. In the future, you should only smile for me.”

“W-why?” Lin Xian didn’t quite follow why the conversation had jumped from punching bad guys to her smile.

“I’m afraid that if you smile, my little rabbit will be snatched away by some big bad wolf.”

“You have a rabbit? And these days, where are there any big bad wolves…?” Lin Xian finally realized the flirtation. Her face flushed hot, and she stared at Daiyu, speechless. All she could manage to ask was, “Where are we going next?”

…

The two of them walked out of Wangfujing Street and hailed a Didi.

“Where are we going?” Lin Xian asked.

In the North, the sky turns dark early. When they entered the cinema, the sun was high; now, the night was lit by city lights. Fang Daiyu and Lin Xian sat in the back of the car. Daiyu leaned close to Lin Xian and said two words: “Going home.”

Home? Lin Xian’s heart skipped a beat. “Home” obviously didn’t mean her dorm; it meant Fang Daiyu’s place? Going to someone’s house this quickly… Lin Xian felt a sense of impending “danger.”

She searched for an excuse: “We’re going home to…?”

Fang Daiyu smiled and gave Lin Xian’s back a reassuring pat: “I need to put all these things down at home first, don’t I? Xianxian, I’ve been carrying them all day.”

“Are we coming back out?” Lin Xian asked cautiously.

“Of course. I’m taking you out for dinner nearby. What do you want to do tonight? A walk in Houhai, or…?” Fang Daiyu had heard that many couples go to clubs or bars at night. Naturally, she wouldn’t take Lin Xian to such chaotic places. She had heard that college couples liked strolling around Houhai at night.

Night? Did that imply she was staying over? Lin Xian’s mind raced. She didn’t know if Fang Daiyu shared an apartment with others or lived alone. Housing in Beijing was always an issue for workers; she knew many seniors who shared a single room with others.

But even if Fang Daiyu slept alone, she couldn’t just squeeze in. They had only just started dating; they had to respect each other.

Driven by a sense of rational respect, Lin Xian did something incredibly stupid that she would immediately regret.

After a long pause following Fang Daiyu’s words, Lin Xian offered her own idea: “How about… after dinner, I book a hotel?”